Football at "the Corner"

Last Thursday a great group from Texas Instruments found us at "the Corner."

Wooo Hooo!  did we have us a party!

Our new friends brought a giant grill on which they cooked over a hundred hamburgers and even more hot dogs with all the trimmings, including fresh fruit, fleece blankets and hundreds of hygiene kits.

Sure, it was another "stop gap" event; but something more was going on as well.

These volunteers from TI really "mingled" among the homeless friends who passed through the experience.

They actually took the time to talk, to question, to listen and to simply connect.

It was beautiful!

One white-haired gentleman approached and asked, "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion, really" I replied.  "Just people hanging out with other great people, and a great group of folks from TI."  

"Have they come to give us jobs?" he asked.

I found out that he had made a career of driving trucks cross country.  He needed work, even though he appeared to be well past retirement age.

He settled for the meal and fellowship.  I'm praying for the day when real, living wage jobs show up.

About an hour into the "party" something told me to get a football out of my car.  I've had this seemingly crazy idea for several weeks.  I just sensed that barely beneath the surface I could find pent up energy and desire for games.

I started playing catch with my friend, Blue.

Soon several were wanting in the game!  Even Billy Merendino, the owner of the filling station on whose driveway we were playing was throwing the ball around!

It was magic!

But, no surprise, right?

People are born to play!

We are all the same.

Take it from me, all of us are the same.